Héctor David Delgado Santiago

On 2 September 2011, the bullet-ridden body of Samuel Flores Borrego was found in the outskirts of Reynosa. Preliminary reports suggested, however, that he was abducted, tortured, and executed by members of his own cartel.[5] With his death, the Gulf Cartel separated into two factions: one faction was known as Los Rojos, which was originally composed by members loyal to the family of the imprisoned leader Osiel Cárdenas Guillén; the second faction was called Los Metros, and was headed by the former leader Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sánchez.[6] In an effort to find those responsible, El Metro 4 worked with Osiel's nephew Rafael Cárdenas Vela (El Junior) and decided that they were going to lead an investigation inside the Gulf Cartel.[7]

Although there is not an official statement from the U.S. and Mexican authorities, several media outlets that cited "extra-official sources" alleged that El Metro 4 was killed in Reynosa, Tamaulipas on early hours of the morning on 15 January 2013. Initial reports indicated that he was wounded in a shootout and was taken to a local hospital, where he later died of complications from the gunshot wounds he received.[8][9]

It was later indicated, however, that the man who died in the hospital was another top criminal in the Gulf Cartel, and that El Metro 4 had actually disappeared a few days before and that his body was found dead by the Mexican authorities in Reynosa.[2]

There are two different versions surrounding the motives behind El Metro 4's death: (1) one of them is that he was killed by rival gang members of Los Zetas, who managed to make an incursion in Reynosa; (2) the other version is that he was betrayed and killed by members of his own cartel.[8][9] InSight Crime believes that if Los Zetas were responsible for his death, the attack was probably a direct response to the Gulf Cartel incursions in Monterrey in 2012. In addition, Reynosa is typically regarded as a stronghold of the Gulf Cartel, but it has not been immune to incursions by Los Zetas.[9][10] If El Metro 4 was betrayed, it remains unclear for whom the assassins were working, whether or not some Gulf Cartel members shifted to Los Zetas, or if it was an internal strife.[9][A 2]

Aftermath

On the night of 10 March 2013, a three-hour gun battle broke out between alleged rival factions of the Gulf Cartel in the streets of Reynosa, Tamaulipas.[12] Government reports suggest that two innocent civilians were killed in the crossfire, but a law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the incident indicated that at least 36 people were killed; the number may even be higher, considering that Gulf Cartel gunmen managed to pick up the bodies of their fallen soldiers.[13] Large armed convoys of over a dozen vehicles with the signs "M4" were seen throughout the city.[14]

According to Valor por Tamaulipas, the shootout was caused by a power struggle within the Gulf Cartel, which skyrocketed with the death of El Metro 4.[15] Borderland Beat indicated that Los Metros gang of the Gulf Cartel experienced several disputes with Miguel El Gringo Villarreal and El Commandante Puma, leaders of another group within the cartel. Although no official reports exists, there are rumors that El Commandante Puma were killed in the gunfight.[14][16][17]